‘Shark Tank’ preview: The Gameface Company becomes first product of 2013

Oh, “Shark Tank,” how we’ve missed you. While we have complained at times about the product placement and sob stories that have decorated season 4 thus far, there is also no show out there that combines the American Dream with occasional crazy ideas and a bald man known as Mr. Wonderful who in reality is an investors’ incarnation of Emperor Palpatine.

So what product from Friday night’s episode gets the honor of being the first one highlighted in 2013, at least at our site? The honor goes to The Gameface Company, a business that really did not get off to a great start with us. When we first saw that a man with patriotic paint on his face wanted $450,000 for 25% of his company, our face was too busy laughing hysterically to pay attention to what he was saying. Then, we watched it again, and we’re actually convinced that the business being sold here may not be that terrible in theory. (Update: be sure to read our full review from this episode, featuring other products, as well.)

Anyone who has been to a sporting event has likely seen someone wandering around with paint all over their face, and the purpose of this product is to provide a cheap and easy alternative; you literally peel an image on your face instead of painting it, and it comes off easy and seemingly without too much pain. It’s also safe for children, and comes in a variety of different styles and colors.

Considering that we live in a day and age where people love to do things with as little effort as possible, this seems ideal (both in terms of time and money) in comparison to people actually sitting down and painting their face before watching the big game or going to a county fair. At this same time, though, doesn’t this really sap away the joy that comes in creating the face? There is always something joyful in the imperfections that come out of having your buddy paint tiger stripes on your forehead, and it makes for far better stories than just sticking a one-time decal on there.

Ultimately, our pre-show assessment is this: there could be a market for this among sports fans or parents who want to have fun without a lot of time on their hands, but we can’t see this company being worth a $1.8 million evaluation.

What do you think about this product? If you want to view some other “Shark Tank” highlights from the season, you can do so here.